Legacy 105: With Mortals Like These
by Dozo14
Summary: As Julian faces a familiar face from his past, the Halliwells are targeted by possessed mortals, leaving them unable to use their magic to defend themselves. Meanwhile, Ryan considers proposing to Melinda.
1. Chapter 1

Legacy 105: With Mortals Like These

Xxx

As the last guests made their way to the doors of Les Trios late in the evening, twenty-three year old Ryan Lancaster let out a sigh and he leaned against the bar. It had been a busy night at the restaurant and he was glad everyone was finally gone. He had already sent the rest of the staff home, so all they needed to was close up. As she closed and locked the door, his girlfriend Melinda Halliwell let out a similar sigh. She was dressed in a simple black dress and looked gorgeous as usual. She did not even need to make an effort to look good, which was one of the things he loved about her.

"Want a drink?" Ryan asked as she sat down at the bar.

"From my favorite bartender, always." Melinda replied with a smile. "And I need it, god, I am exhausted. Today was crazy."

"I know." Ryan replied as he handed Melinda her favorite drink and grabbed a beer for himself. "It was a nuthouse."

"I'll say." Melinda replied.

Ever since her mother Piper had died about two years ago, Melinda and Ryan had taken over the restaurant at the request of her father and the rest of her family. The restaurant was a huge success, and typically things ran smoothly, but on days like these it was truly exhausting. One of the chefs did not show up, there was a wine spill in the basement and they had a group of very difficult guests, the kind that made you actually want to spit in their food. But it was all worth it, as Ryan got to spent almost all of his time with his girlfriend.

They had been dating for almost three years now and things were better than ever. The last two years had been difficult, as Melinda had lost her mother and they had taken over the restaurant, but it had also brought them closer together. Ryan now knew the truth about her magic, and although it was still strange to him, he slowly started getting used to it. Luckily, Melinda had no interest in magic herself, so he wasn't confronted with it that much.

"What do you say we get Lindsey to manage the restaurant tomorrow night?" Ryan suggested. "We've been working so hard we deserve a break. Let's go out ourselves for a change."

"I really want to, but are you sure Lindsey is ready?" Melinda asked.

"Mel, you have been training her for months. You need to let her prove herself." Ryan said. "Besides, I already checked with her and she is available."

"But…" Melinda started.

"And I already asked Kim to stand by just in case." Ryan added before she could continue to make excuses. "Everything is taken care of."

"Well then, mister Lancaster." Melinda replied with a smile. "It seems you have it all figured out. Alright then, surprise me. I am going to close up in the back, can you take care of things here?"

"Sure." Ryan replied.

Melinda leaned over the bar and kissed him for a moment. She then smiled and headed to the kitchen. Ryan waited until she was gone and pulled a small black box from his pocket. He opened it and stared the beautiful gold engagement ring he had bought a few weeks ago. He had been searching for the perfect moment and tomorrow night was it. Tomorrow was the day he would ask Melinda to marry him.

Xxx

Across town, in the apartment share by Prue and Payton, the three cupid sisters were just finishing a take-out dinner of the couch while watching a romantic movie. They were dressed in sweats and comfy clothes and were having a night in. The last few days had been difficult for all of them, since they had just found out they had a demonic half-brother, so they were taking a break to process everything that had happened.

Prue was still very confused and upset by the whole situation and could not believe it had actually happened. She still hoped it was some very realistic nightmare she would wake up from. The Source that had tried to kill them several times already was actually their brother. It was insane.

"Want to watch another movie?" Penny asked as the film ended.

"Sure, why not." Prue replied with a shrug.

At that moment, Payton got a message on her phone and quickly turned away to reply. She then put the phone away and tried to act fake casual, which only made her seem more suspicious. Prue exchanged frowning looks with Penny and they both looked at their youngest sister, who grew more uncomfortable by the second.

"Who was that?" Prue asked.

"Oh, just a friend, nothing important." Payton quickly said and stared at the TV.

"I don't believe you." Penny said. "You are acting suspicious, like you are trying to hide something."

"Alright." Payton admitted as she stood up and started pacing in front of the TV. "I have been talking to mom."

"What?!" Prue and Penny called out at the same time.

"Payton, how could you do that? We agreed we would not talk to her for a while." Prue said. "In case you missed it, we're still angry with her."

"Okay, hear me out. I think we're being cruel to her." Payton said. "The way we reacted, the way we're treating her now. She was as shocked and upset by all of this as much as we were, probably even more. I don't think it is fair to take it out on her."

"Why not?" Penny remarked. "She created the demonic spawn in the first place."

"Because she was tricked." Payton retorted. "She loved Cole. She did not know he was possessed by the evil essence. She was manipulated. And she did not even know the child had survived in the first place."

"She may have been manipulated, but that doesn't mean she is blameless." Prue replied. "There are still choices she made on her own, such as never telling us the whole story. Whenever things get difficult, she acts all innocent or blames others. She needs to admit her mistakes."

"She is trying, but you won't talk to her." Payton replied. "How is she supposed to make up for her mistakes when her own daughters won't hear her out?"

"It is too early." Penny said. "I need time to deal with all of this."

"Yes, can we please just talk about this some other time?" Prue added. "Everything is already messed up, I don't want to fight with my own sisters."

"Okay." Payton replied with a disappointed look.

Payton sat back down on the couch and they started another movie. Prue could sense her sister was still upset, but she really could not talk about it now. A little into the movie, Prue went to make tea and put the film on pause. As she poured the boiling hot water, she thought about her mother and felt bad as she remembered the times they used to drink tea together and gossip. However, that did not change things. She could not just get over it with a few sentimental memories.

"Do you guys ever think about him?" Penny suddenly asked.

"Him?" Prue asked confused. "You mean our half-brother?"

"Oh god, please don't call him that out loud." Penny replied annoyed. "He might share some Wiccan genes, but he is not family."

"I think about him sometimes." Payton admitted. "What he is like, what he could have been. Imagine growing up with an older brother."

"We already have Wyatt and Chris for that." Penny replied. "Okay, they are our cousins, not brothers, but they still act the part."

"I think it would have been different." Payton said.

"I don't want to think about it." Prue said. It did pop up in her mind once in a while, but each time she buried the thought and focused on something else. "I doesn't matter. We can't change the facts. He was possessed by the Source nearly his entire life. I doubt he even has human emotions."

"You're right, let's drop it." Penny replied.

There was a knock on the door and Prue put down her tea. She walked over to the door and opened in. Noah was standing in the hallway. He looked as handsome as ever, but this time she was not falling for his charming smile and cute looks. She was convinced that he was involved with Matt leaving sooner than planned. Noah had interfered in her personal life when he had no business there. It was things like that and his mysterious behavior that made her feel like she could not trust him. He was keeping something from her, as he always seemed nervous around her.

"What do you want?" Prue asked impatiently.

"Okay, hello to you too." Noah replied with a confused frown. "What is with the hostility?"

"You tell me." Prue replied as she crossed her arms.

"Oh, I assume this is about Matt?" Noah asked.

"You're damn right it is." Prue said angrily. "I know you had something to do with him leaving."

"I only suggested that it was in the best interest of both of you." Noah said. "It was dangerous for him to stay around. I wanted to spare you both the pain of a difficult goodbye."

"You had no right." Prue said. "You might be our Whitelighter, but that does not give you the right to invade my private life."

"You're right, and I apologize." Noah said. "It will not happen again."

"Not good enough." Prue replied stubbornly.

"Well, what you do want me to do to prove it?" Noah asked. "I will do anything."

"Anything, huh?" Penny remarked with a devilish smile. "Just kidding." She quickly added as Prue shot her an angry look.

"How about you start telling the truth, Noah?" Prue eventually said. "From the very moment you came to us, I feel like there is something you're hiding. That spirit killer even warned us about you."

"Well, you can't trust the word of a Darklighter." Noah quickly said.

"No, but I can't seem to trust the word of a Whitelighter either." Prue replied.

Before Noah could reply, Prue slammed the door shut in his face. She could sense his disappointment and frustration. She then noticed a blue light under the door and realized he had orbed away.

Why was everything so difficult? Sometimes she thought that Melinda had made the smart move to stay away from magic and lead a normal life. After all, she had a hot, living boyfriend. Magic seemed to bring nothing but problems. Prue shook off her worries and sat back down on the couch with her tea. Right now, she wanted to enjoy the movie and not think of anything else.

Xxx

On a dark street, a large fire suddenly rose up from the ground and Julian Turner appeared through the flames, dressed in a long black coat. It was been almost a week since the essence had been expelled and he had been freed, though he still felt like he was trapped. He was stuck, unable to move forward or backward. What the hell was he supposed to do now? All he felt was anger and confusion and he wanted to lash out at the world. However, he knew that would only be a distraction. He needed some answers, a purpose. He needed to know who and what he was, and there was only one place he could find answers.

Julian looked ahead and found himself standing in front of a large and dark mansion. The place he had grown up in, where he was prepared for his role as vessel and where he became one with the Source of All Evil all those years ago. He stepped forward and flung the gate open with a wave of his hand. When he reached the front porch, he formed a ball of pure flames in his hand and threw it at the door, causing it to combust.

"Anyone here?" Julian called out as he stepped inside. "I am home."

As he walked down the hall, two large and burly demons in black leather ran in from different rooms on both sides of the hallway. Each of them threw an Energy Ball, though Julian simply deviated them back with a stare and they were both vanquished by their own power.

Suddenly, a third Energy Ball flew through the hallway and hit him in the chest. Julian flew back and crashed into the wall behind him. It was a low-voltage attack. As he looked up, he saw a woman with short black hair and bright red lips stepping forward. She was dressed in a dark brown dress with black leather boots. Julian was shocked to see her, as he believed she was vanquished long ago.

"Hello grandmother." Julian remarked as he stood up.

"I am more than that, Julian." Elizabeth Turner replied. "I am the one who gave birth to you, named you and raised you. I am your mother, treat me with some respect. You destroyed my door."

"You are the one who handed me off to the Source." Julian replied bitterly. "I should kill you where you stand."

"All I did was help you achieve your true potential, your true destiny." Elizabeth said. "You should be thanking me."

"It was never my destiny to become possessed." Julian said angrily. "I spent my entire life trapped inside my own body. You call that potential?"

"You were only trapped because you never truly accepted the essence." Elizabeth said. "If you had only stopped resisting, you would have become one and the same."

"How is that any better?" Julian asked with a frown.

"You could have been the greatest force of evil, the ruler of our kind." Elizabeth snapped at him. "Instead, you acted like a spoiled child throwing a tantrum. You have destroyed everything I have worked decades to achieve. The legacy of my family is in shambles, you are weak just like your father."

"Shut up!" Julian screamed angrily and raised his hand, unleashing a bolt of lightning.

Elizabeth smirked and disappeared in a shimmer before the bolt of lightning struck. She reappeared behind him and before Julian could spin around, her eyes turned bright red and she unleashed a powerful sonic scream. Julian cried out in pain as he fell through his knees and grabbed his ears until he was finally overwhelmed and fell down. Dazed and confused, he felt Elizabeth kneeling down next to him and running her hand through his hair.

"You have been a naughty boy, Julian." Elizabeth said with a taunting smile. "Luckily, mommy always has plan B. Things are not lost yet."

Julian groaned in pain as he tried to move, but his body felt heavy and powerless. He wanted to scream at her that she was not his mother, that he hated her, but the words would not come out. Instead, his sight darkened and he passed out into a deep sleep.

Xxx

The first part of a new Legacy story. Please review. For people unfamiliar with Melinda and Ryan's story, please read my story "Four Witches and a Funeral". Also, I am experimenting with the length of my chapters, so they may vary.


	2. Chapter 2

Legacy 105: With Mortals Like These

Part 2

Xxx

Early in the morning, Wyatt Halliwell headed down the stairs of the manor with a bag of camera equipment around his shoulder. He had a shoot for a local nature magazine in a little while, and he had to be in the park to take pictures with an expert on butterflies or something. It was not a very exciting shoot, but as a freelancer, he had to take what he could get. He also could not be late again. As he grabbed his coat and headed to the door, the bell suddenly rang.

Wyatt opened the door and saw Ryan, his sister's boyfriend, standing there. Even though they had been dating for about three years, Wyatt really didn't know him that well, since Melinda had decided to live a magic-free life and wasn't around as much as she used to be. Additionally, they were probably busy with the restaurant all the time.

"Ryan, hey." Wyatt said surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"Hey, Wyatt." Ryan replied. "Is this a bad time? I was actually hoping to talk to you about something."

"Uh, sure, I got a photo shoot in a little while, but I got a few minutes." Wyatt said. "Come in."

Wyatt let Ryan in and they headed to the conservatory. He told Ryan to make himself comfortable while he got them something to drink. When he got back with two glasses of iced tea, they sat down on the couch by the windows. Wyatt wondered what was going on, as Ryan seemed pretty nervous.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Wyatt asked. "Something wrong?"

"No, no, nothing is wrong." Ryan quickly said. "It is actually good news, I guess. Maybe it is best if I just show you."

Wyatt waited as Ryan reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small black box. He opened it and showed it to Wyatt. Inside was a beautiful golden ring with a small diamond, an engagement ring. That could only mean one thing.

"Oh, Ryan..." Wyatt said with a smile. "You are quite handsome and all, but aren't you already dating my sister?"

"What?" Ryan asked with a confused frown, until he realized Wyatt was joking. "No, I mean, this is for Melinda. I want to ask her to marry me."

"Yeah, I got that." Wyatt replied laughing. "That is amazing, I am really happy for you. You are perfect together."

"So you think she'll say yes?" Ryan asked nervously.

"Of course." Wyatt replied instantly. 'Why wouldn't she? You have been dating for three years, you're happy, there are no more secrets between you."

"Okay." Ryan said replied as he closed the box and put it safely in his jacket again. "Guess I am just really nervous. I got someone to cover the restaurant tonight, so I am going to surprise her with a romantic dinner."

"So why are you here?" Wyatt asked.

"I don't know, just looking for some support, I guess." Ryan reasoned. "I hadn't really thought it through, so I wanted to know how her family felt about it, about me."

"You don't need to worry about that." Wyatt said. "So have you talked to my dad?"

"Your dad?" Ryan asked confused. "Why?"

"Well, you are about to marry his only daughter." Wyatt replied.

"But I don't need to ask his permission or anything, do I?" Ryan asked surprised. "I mean, that is a little old-fashioned, we live in 2029."

"Yeah, but did you forget that my dad has basically been around for over a hundred years?" Wyatt replied. "I mean, he fought in the Second World War. He is a little old-fashioned."

"Oh, I forgot about that." Ryan replied. "So I do need to ask his permission?"

"I would, yeah." Wyatt said with a nod. "But I would not let Melinda find out you did, because she will kill you, since this is 2029 and all."

"This is so confusing." Ryan said with a conflicted look.

"I know." Wyatt added with an amused smile. His dad could be pretty old-fashioned, but he had actually meant it more as a joke. Still, he decided to go along with it.

"I want to do the right thing." Ryan said after a while. "So I am going to ask your dad for her hand in marriage. It is the respectable thing to do, right?"

"Definitely." Wyatt replied. "I can open a door to Magic School for you."

"Magic School?" Ryan asked. "I can go there?"

"Yeah, I just wouldn't wander around or touch stuff, unless you want to turn into a toad." Wyatt said. "Come on, I will show you, since I need to get going."

Wyatt guided Ryan to the stairway and placed his hand on the wall. As he focused on Magic School, the doorway magically appeared and swung open. Ryan carefully stepped through the door and looked around in amazement.

"So good luck." Wyatt said as he padded him on his shoulder. "And if you need anything for tonight, just let me know. We are going to be brothers-in-law after all."

"I will, thanks, Wyatt." Ryan replied.

Ryan took a step back and the door magically swung close and disappeared. Wyatt smirked at his obvious confusion. He really did like Ryan and he hoped they would be happy together. Until then, it was just funny to mess with him a little. He was going to be a part of the family after all. As he checked his watch, Wyatt suddenly realized he was running late and went to grab his stuff before heading out.

Xxx

When the magical door closed and disappeared, Ryan found himself standing in what seemed to be an endless hallway with many doors. Confused, he looked around and felt the wall where the door had just been. His only way out had disappeared. With no other choice, he started walking down the long hallway. He had never even considered asking Leo for Melinda's hand in marriage. It seemed like such an outdated practice, but since Leo over a century old, it actually seemed logical.

As Ryan passed a door, he nearly bumped into a blonde woman in a black robe carrying a pile of books. She was startled and dropped the books, so Ryann quickly kneeled down to help her.

"I am so sorry." Ryan said.

"It is quite alright. I could barely see where I was going." The woman said as she looked at him. "Excuse me, but who are you exactly? You do not seem like you belong here."

"I don't. I am actually looking for Leo Wyatt." Ryan said.

"Headmaster Wyatt is quite busy. I doubt he will be able to meet with you." The woman replied harshly.

"It is important." Ryan said.

"And who are you then?" the woman asked skeptically. "You don't even seem magical, what could you possibly have to discuss with the headmaster?"

"He is dating my daughter, Miss Donovan." A voice suddenly said and Ryan turned around to see Leo standing behind him, also dressed in a black robe. "Although I am a little confused how you got here myself, Ryan."

"I am sorry sir." Ryan quickly said as he stood up. "Wyatt helped me get here. I wanted to talk to you. It concerns Melinda."

"Headmaster, we can't have mortals wandering around the school." Miss Donovan said.

"I will take care of it, Miss Donovan." Leo said gently. "Don't you have a literature class to teach?"

Miss Donovan snorted as Ryan handed her the last book and she turned around and left. Leo smiled as he guided Ryan to walk with him and they entered his office. Once there, Leo sat down behind his desk and Ryan sat down on another chair. Ryan noticed he was feeling nervous. He really loved Melinda and he wanted her father's approval. He wanted to be good enough.

"So what did you want to see me about?" Leo asked. "I trust that it is important, Magic School can be quite dangerous for mortals. You said something about Melinda, is everything alright?"

"Yes, everything is fine, better than fine actually." Ryan said.

"So is there some kind of emergency at the restaurant?" Leo asked.

"No sir." Ryan said. "The thing I wanted to talk to is actually quite personal. And it is very important to me."

"Okay, I am curious now." Leo said with a friendly smile. "Please tell me."

"Well sir, I love your daughter." Ryan stated as he looked him in the eyes trying to be respectful, even though he was shaking in his boots. "We have been dating for three years now and we have been through a lot. We have been there for each other in hard times and it has only brought us closer together. I love Melinda with all my heart, and I will do whatever it takes to make her happy. So for that reason, I would like to ask your permission to ask her to marry me."

Leo stared and him and nodded patiently until he finished talking. Then an awkward silence filled the room and Leo suddenly started laughing. Confused, Ryan waited and wondered what was so funny.

"Am I missing something?" He eventually asked.

"No, I am sorry." Leo said still smiling. "Does Melinda know you're here?"

"No." Ryan replied.

"Good, she is a lot like her mother, you know." Leo said. "She would not be happy if she found out you asked for my permission to get married. I might be old, but we're not that old-fashioned."

"But Wyatt said…" Ryan started confused.

"You listened to Wyatt?" Leo asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Seriously? This was all just some stupid joke of his, right?" Ryan guessed with a sigh.

"Pretty much." Leo replied with a shrug. "But I appreciate your honesty, Ryan. I know that you really love my daughter. I was so happy that you were there to support her when her mother died. So even though you don't need it, I will still give you my blessing."

"Thank you, sir. That means a lot." Ryan said proudly. "I will not let you down."

"I know you won't." Leo replied as he stood up. "Now stand up and give me a hug. And stop calling me sir, you are going to be a part of the family after all."

Ryan smiled as he stood up and gave his future father-in-law a quick hug. He felt incredibly relieved and happy. Now nothing would stand in the way of asking the girl he loved to marry him. Except that he would still need a way to get back from this crazy place. When he asked Leo about it, the headmaster merely smirked and Ryan felt a little uneasy.

Xxx

A little outside of the city of San Francisco, Julian Turner woke up staring at a familiar ceiling. He looked around and saw he was lying on his bed in his childhood bedroom, as dark and depressing as ever. His coat had been removed and he was lying on top of the covers in a dark red shirt and dark jeans. As he sat up, he noticed Elizabeth standing by the window. He held out his hand and tried to form lightning, but nothing happened. He was powerless.

"What the hell did you do to me?" Julian asked.

"I don't want any more magic in this household." Elizabeth replied without looking at him. "You already destroyed my door and I will not tolerate further aggression. I believed I had raised you better than that."

"You call what you did raising?" Julian asked as he sat up on the edge of the bed. "Felt more like torture to me."

"Well, you required a lot of discipline." Elizabeth said as she turned and walked to him.

"Yeah, I can imagine all those human emotions and needs were quite an inconvenience." Julian remarked dryly. "After all, what child needs affection?"

"You were not just a child, you are half demon." Elizabeth replied. "You have no need for human emotions. I wish I could have beaten them out of you years ago, things would have been different. But unfortunately, that fragment of a soul inside of you persisted."

"What do you know about that?" Julian asked.

"You could have been great." Elizabeth said as she laid a hand on his cheek. "My greatest achievement, my own flesh and flood as the Source of All Evil. Except that bothersome wiccan half of yours just would not die."

"It is not my wiccan side that got in the way." Julian said as he stood up and walked away from her touch. "I never wanted the essence, it was forced upon me. It was my anger and hate that kept it from fully taking over."

"And where do you suppose that anger and hate came from?" Elizabeth asked. "Despite my best efforts to raise you as a demon, your humanity remained. It was Cole all over again."

"My father?" Julian asked.

"I suppose technically he is." Elizabeth replied. "But he was weak and unworthy. He betrayed his true nature the moment he fell for that witch. You were my chance to correct that mistake."

"Sorry to disappoint." Julian replied. "I like my free will."

"Not to worry, there are other ways to get what I want." Elizabeth said with a content smile.

"And what is that?" Julian asked.

"Don't you see?" Elizabeth asked with a frown. "I want power and influence. I want a legacy of my flesh and blood. To be remembered through the ages, not just for my own actions, through my blood as well."

"A dynasty of evil?" Julian asked skeptically. "And of course you would be at the very top."

"Exactly." Elizabeth replied with a smile.

"So what are your plans exactly?" Julian asked. "What do you want with me?"

"Follow me and I will show you." Elizabeth replied.

Elizabeth walked to the door and it opened with a simple fling of her finger. Julian reluctantly followed her through the halls of his childhood home, filled with all his horrible memories. The headed down the stairs and entered a large room. It was almost empty, except for a large chandelier and a table underneath it. On the table lied the Grimoire, as well as an ancient looking vase. Julian's eyes widened as he recognized it.

"Look familiar?" Elizabeth asked.

"I thought I had destroyed it as a child." Julian replied. "I remember you punishing me for it."

"As you deserved, but the vase could be restored." Elizabeth said. "Do you know what it contains, can you sense it?"

"The essence of the Source." Julian replied as he laid his hands on the vase. "What do you intend to do with it?"

"One thing at a time, dear." Elizabeth replied with a smile. "The first step will be to finally rid myself of those troublesome Warren witches."

"How?" Julian asked.

"Quite easily." Elizabeth explained. "I will turn those they swore to protect against them. They will be powerless to stop it. They will all die without us having to raise a finger."

Julian withdrew his hands from the vase and stared at them with conflict. When the essence was still inside him, he wanted nothing more than to see the Halliwells destroyed. However, now that he felt this empty and lost, he had no idea what he truly wanted. The witches meant nothing to him, so why should be care what happened to them?

xxx


	3. Chapter 3

Legacy 105: With Mortals Like These

Part 3

Xxx

As Chris Halliwell left the hospital after an early morning shift, he walked down the street and headed to his favorite coffee bar on the corner. After ordering, he sat down in one of the booths and yawned. He reached into his bag and pulled out a small notebook. On one of the pages, he had written a chart on all demonic activity and had tried to figure out the hierarchy. Now that the Source was expelled from his co-called demonic cousin, the immediate threat was gone, but the essence was still out there. So were the Seer and several demonic factions.

"Chris?" A familiar voice suddenly asked.

Chris looked up and saw his cousin Penny standing by his booth with a cup of coffee. "Penny, what are you doing here?"

"What do you think? It's a coffee bar." Penny remarked as she sat down. "I've been staying with my sisters, this place is on the way to campus."

"How are you all doing?" Chris asked. "Have you talked to your mom?"

"No, well, Payton has." Penny replied. "She thinks we're being too hard on her, but come on, it is not every day you find out you have a demonic brother."

"Have you heard from him?" Chris asked curiously, since Julian was possibly the biggest threat out there right now.

"No, of course not." Penny replied as she noticed the notebook. "What are you doing?" She asked as she grabbed the notebook before Chris could put it away. She flipped through it and sighed disappointed as she closed it.

"What?" Chris asked.

"You really are obsessed, you know that right?" Penny remarked. "Seriously, for once can you let go of magic and focus on something else in your life?"

"I know I am obsessive, but someone has to be." Chris replied. "Like it or not, our family will always be in the middle of a demonic mess. It is who we are."

"So why does that person need to be you?" Penny asked. "Just let go and enjoy yourself for a change. When is the last time you had some actual fun? When is the last time you actually dated? And hooking up with that little blonde charge of yours does not count."

"Not that it is any of your business, but it hasn't been that long." Chris replied, though he was having trouble remembering it himself. "It was… not that long ago."

"Okay, that settles it." Penny said. "Tonight, we're going out. You need to get a social life and I need to stop moping around the apartment with my sisters. We are going clubbing."

"I don't do clubs." Chris replied.

"That is only because you're completely neurotic." Penny replied. "So you can either come willingly and have good time, or I will use my mind powers to brainwash you into a more fun person."

"You don't have that kind of power." Chris remarked dryly.

"Want to find out?" Penny replied with a raised eyebrow. "The very least I can do is unravel all your embarrassing secrets. Like what exactly happened that weekend in freshman year that you refuse to talk about?"

"Alright fine." Chris quickly said as he threw up his hands. "You got me. I will go clubbing with you. So can I have my notebook back now?"

"I think I will keep on to this for a little while." Penny replied as she dropped the notebook in her purse. "You need to go cold turkey when it comes to demons. Get a life, Chris."

"I have a life." Chris said.

"I mean one that doesn't resolve around fighting demons or cleaning bedpans." Penny remarked as she stood up. "I have to get to class, so I will pick you up tonight."

"Fine." Chris said reluctantly.

"Aren't you glad you have a cool cousin like me?" Penny replied with a smile and walked off.

As Penny left the coffee shop, Chris sighed and dropped his head on the table. The last thing he wanted was to go clubbing. He had never been the outgoing type, he was not like Penny or Wyatt for that matter. He was awkward and insecure when it came to stuff like that. However, they might be right about his obsessiveness. Maybe his cousin was right, perhaps a night out would do him good.

xxx

At the exact same moment, Prue left her apartment and stepped into the elevator on her way to pick up an amazing pair of shoes she had ordered weeks ago. Even with all the drama, nothing could make her feel quite as happy as a new pair of shoes. As the elevator headed down, it was suddenly bathed in a blue light as millions of tiny orbs descended and formed into Noah. There went her good mood.

"What do you want?" Prue asked annoyed.

"I want to talk to you." Noah said. "To explain."

"Does that mean you're finally willing to tell the truth?" Prue asked.

"If it means you will finally trust me, yes." Noah replied as he grabbed her by the arm and looked at her. "I am tired of lying, but we need to go somewhere private to talk."

"Where?" Prue asked.

"I know a place. Are you willing to give me a chance?" Noah asked.

"That depends on your answers." Prue replied. "So let's go."

Noah nodded took her away as he orbed out of the elevator. When they reappeared, Prue was shocked to discover she was standing on top of the Golden Gate Bridge. She felt dizzy and stumbled back, though Noah caught her before she could fall. As she lied in his arms, she looked up at him. Why did he have to be so charming even when she was angry with him?

"We can talk here." Noah said as he helped her up.

"How is this a private place?" Prue asked skeptically.

"People can't see us from down there, and I have cloaked us to ensure the Elders cannot spy on us either." Noah explained.

"What do the Elders have to do with this?" Prue asked.

"Everything." Noah replied with a suspicious look in the air.

"Alright, so start talking." Prue said as she crossed her arms.

"I don't know where to start." Noah said.

"Start at the beginning, why did the Elders sent you to be out Whitelighter?" Prue asked.

"The Elders grew concerned when the Source of All Evil returned." Noah explained. "They knew only your family would be able to stop him, but since the relationship between your family and the council was so badly damaged, they sent me to get you back on their side."

"Typical. So why did you go along with it?" Prue asked.

"I did not want to. I wanted to be honest with you, but they would not let me." Noah said. "They feared you would not be able to vanquish the Source if you knew everything."

"Wait a minute, did the Elders know about Julian?" Prue asked shocked.

"Yes." Noah said.

"How could you not tell me? You knew we had a demonic brother and you kept it from all of us?" Prue called out. "How could you?"

"The Elders did not want you to know. They feared it might complicate things when you had to vanquish him. They worried you would not be able to." Noah explained.

"That explains the Elders, but what about you?" Prue asked. "Noah, as our Whitelighter we should have been able to count on you. Are the Elders that much more important to you? Why, just because they are your bosses?"

"No." Noah admitted. "It is because they have something on me. I had no choice."

"What?" Prue asked with a frown. "What are you talking about?"

"It is complicated, Prue." Noah replied. "I was not always a Whitelighter. I have done things that I am not proud of, things that ended badly, and I was punished for it. Getting you to reconcile with the Elders was my chance at redemption."

Noah turned and walked to the edge of the bridge. Prue could sense his torment and walked over to him, placing her hand on his arm. Her empathic gift told her that he felt guilty and that it caused him a lot of pain. "What did you do?" She whispered.

"It was bad." Noah replied sorrowfully. "I nearly destroyed everything."

"It is okay. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Prue said.

"Thank you." Noah replied.

"So what happens now?" Prue asked.

"Well, I hope that you will still want me as your Whitelighter." Noah said. "I hope you're willing to give me a chance to prove myself."

"Why are we so important to the Elders?" Prue asked.

"I am not just talking about the Elders, Prue." Noah replied. "I am talking about me. I like you and I like your sisters. You're the first charges I've had in a long time. Without you, I'd be forced to go back up there."

Prue took a deep sigh as she considered what he had told her. "Alright." She eventually said. "But only if you swear to me right now that there will be no more lies or secrets. And no more interference in our personal lives!"

"I promise." Noah said with a charming smile. "And thank you."

"Just don't make me regret it." Prue replied with a reluctant smile. She really hated his charm at times like this. She was supposed to be mad or disappointed or whatever. "Now can you take me back down from here, I got some very lovely shoes waiting for me."

"Sure." Noah replied as extended his hand. Prue took hold of him and soon felt herself getting carried away on orbs as she was surrounded in blue light.

Xxx

As it started getting dark outside, Julian paced around his childhood mansion. He hated it, as everywhere he looked, he was reminded of memories about his horrible childhood. He wanted to leave, but the spell that had left him powerless also prevented him from getting out of the house. Once again, he was trapped and it was driving him insane. As he walked down the hall, he grabbed a lamp from a side table and smashed in on the marble floor.

"You're not too old to be put over my knee, you know." Elizabeth stated as she came down the stairs.

"Release me." Julian replied. "I am no longer yours to control."

"Of course you are." Elizabeth replied. "I am your mother."

"No!" Julian screamed as he launched at her, though a low-voltage Energy Ball hit him in the chest and he fell through his knees. "I am going to kill you." He said as he looked up at her.

"Now, now, no need for such hostility." Elizabeth said. "It is time."

"Time?" Julian asked confused.

"Time to destroy the Halliwells." Elizabeth said as she walked past him and entered the room containing the ancient vase holding the essence.

"Why are you so determined to destroy them?" Julian asked as he followed her.

"I think the better question is, why aren't you?" Elizabeth replied as she stopped and turned to him. "They should mean nothing to you. They are just a reminder of everything you're not."

"They don't mean anything to me." Julian said.

"Are you sure about that?" Elizabeth asked skeptically.

"They are not my family. I don't have a family." Julian replied.

"That is not true." Elizabeth said as she placed a hand on his arm. "You have me. I am all the family you will ever need. Now, let us destroy the witches together."

Elizabeth walked to the table in the middle of the room and opened the Grimoire. As she flipped through the black pages, Julian circled the table and looked at the vase. It looked ancient and Egyptian in design. He could sense the essence inside and shivered.

"It is called the Urn of Asar." Elizabeth explained. "It was created to contain any soul or essence in existence and keep it alive for all eternity."

"So the essence is trapped in here?" Julian asked. "We could hide it somewhere safe, keep the Source from ever returning."

"And why would we do that?" Elizabeth asked with a raised eyebrow. "The essence is a force to be reckoned with. In my hands, it can be used to achieve all we ever dreamed of."

"All you ever dreamed of." Julian remarked. "I want nothing to do with it."

"Then stand back, dear." Elizabeth replied.

Elizabeth returned to the table as Julian stepped back. He watched in silence as she placed her hand on the vase and studied the Grimoire. She then opened the vase and started to cast a spell as she waved her hand over it.

"_Essence of evil and dark intent,_

_Rise up now with my consent,_

_Let malice spread across the lands,_

_Destroy the witches by mortal hands,_

_Take their minds, corrupt their souls,_

_Turn their hearts as black as coal._"

As she finished the spell, a dark force emerged from the vase and started to spread across the room. Elizabeth smiled as she held up her hand and the darkness rose up and disappeared through the ceiling. Julian watched as the essence of pure evil spread across the city. The Halliwells had no idea what was heading their way, but why did he keep having these conflicting feelings about it?

xxx

When Melinda arrived at the apartment she shared with Ryan, she was surprised to find rose petals in the hall. She smiled at the romantic gesture and followed the petals to the window, where candles were burning on the fire escape. Wondering what Ryan was planning, she climbed up to the roof. It reminded her of the night they had moved in, when they had watched the stars on the roof with a bottle of wine. Since then, it had become a getaway from their hectic lives.

When Melinda arrived on the roof, she saw Ryan standing by a camping table surrounded by candles and their old Christmas lights, with a romantic dinner all set up. He smiled nervously when he saw her.

"What is going on?" Melinda asked. "I thought we were going out."

"Change of plans." Ryan replied as he walked over and kissed her, before handing her a single red rose. "This place has always been special to us."

"Thank you, I am not exactly dressed for a romantic dinner." Melinda replied as she looked down at her shirt and simple jeans.

"You're always beautiful." Ryan said with a smile. "Please sit down."

They walked over to the table and sat down, Ryan poured them both some wine and nearly tipped over the bottle, which was not like him. He really was nervous for something. Melinda started getting a hopeful idea about what was happening and could not stop smiling.

"Melinda, you really are the most special and important thing in my life." Ryan said as he took her hand. "I think I have loved you from the moment we met that day in the restaurant and..."

Melinda felt a shadow flying past her and Ryan gasped in shock. He stumbled back and fell over and Melinda screamed. She quickly got up and kneeled down next to him, asking if he was alright. Suddenly she felt his strong hands around her throat and saw two pure black eyes glaring at her.

"Die, you witch." Ryan hissed in a deep demonic voice.

xxx


	4. Chapter 4

Legacy 105: With Mortals Like These

Part 4

Xxx

Melinda gasped for air as she fell on the floor with Ryan's hands tightly around her throat, squeezing the life out of her. They hit the table and the dinner that was supposed to be romantic fell on the dirty rooftop. Melinda tried to scream, but her voice was cut off and she clawed at Ryan for release. However, when she saw his pitch black eyes and heard him growl like a wild animal, she knew it was not truly Ryan. He was possessed by something, something evil. Ryan would never do this. He loved her, and she was pretty sure he was going to propose.

Melinda attempted to freeze him, though it would not work as long as they were in contact. Instead, her eyes shot across the rooftop for a possible escape. Just then, the wine bottle Ryan had opened earlier rolled against her leg. She reached down and managed to grab it with her fingers. She lashed out and hit Ryan across the head. He screamed in pain and released her.

Melinda rolled away and got up on her knees. Ryan was screaming like an insane person that he was going to kill her, though his voice was deep and demonic. It was not him, she reminded herself. He was hurt and blood was pouring down the right side of his face. When he launched himself at her, she raised her hands and froze him in place.

Melinda sat there for a moment rubbing her sore throat as she cried softly. She had never been so scared in her life. It had felt like a nightmare and she could still feel his hands on her.

"Wyatt!" Melinda cried out desperately. "Wyatt, please help me."

A column of orbs appeared from the air and formed into her older brother. Melinda jumped up and hugged him as she cried hysterically. He felt safe and warm and she felt protected with him.

"Melinda, what is going on?" Wyatt asked confused.

"It is Ryan." Melinda said after taking a deep breath and wiping her tears. "Something got to him, he just went insane and tried to kill me."

"What?!" Wyatt called out furiously as he turned around and stepped toward the frozen Ryan. "I am going to kill him! Nobody hurts my sister!"

"Wyatt, wait, you don't understand." Melinda quickly said as she grabbed his arm. "He is possessed, look at his eyes!"

Wyatt stopped and kneeled down in front of Ryan as he studied his eyes. "You're right." He stated. "I am sorry, I jumped to conclusions."

"Ryan would never hurt me." Melinda said accusingly. "How could you think that?"

"I am sorry!" Wyatt replied somewhat frustrated. "I know that, but you were hysterical. I did not think straight. I am not going to let anyone hurt my baby sister!"

"I know that." Melinda replied with a sigh. "I am sorry too, but what are we going to do? What if Ryan is in pain or worse? What is controlling him?"

"I don't know, but pitch black eyes is a very bad sign." Wyatt replied. "I think we should take him to the manor, tie him up in the basement until we know what is happening to him."

Melinda nodded, realizing it was the best solution. "But how are we going to get him there. If we move him, he will unfreeze."

"I know, you'd better look away." Wyatt replied.

"What? No!" Melinda called out.

"Suit yourself." Wyatt replied as he turned around and knocked Ryan to the ground with a punch in the face, causing him to unfreeze and fell down unconscious.

"You could have hurt him!" Melinda called out concerned as she ran over and kneeled down next to her boyfriend, to check if he was alright.

"I didn't have a choice." Wyatt replied. "It is not like I liked it. We could not take the chance."

"Alright fine, let's just hurry." Melinda replied. "We need to get this thing out of him."

Wyatt nodded and extended his hand, which Melinda took as he held on to Ryan. In a column of orbs, the three of them disappeared from the rooftop and headed to the manor. Unknown to them, hundreds of shadows spread across the city and entered unsuspecting mortals. As their eyes turned pure black, the possessed hissed in demonic voices and headed toward Prescott Street.

Xxx

Around the same time, Chris and Penny Halliwell arrived at a club located on the other side of the city. Chris had never heard of it before, but his cousin had assured him it was one of the hottest clubs at the moment. Even though it was pretty early for club hours, it was already very busy as a popular punk band was playing. Chris was dressed in a black shirt and dark jeans, while Penny was dressed in a dark red dress that was a little too short and revealing in Chris' opinion. However, he decided not to comment on it as he did not want to be subjected to her fury.

"How are we going to get in?" Chris asked as he looked at the line.

"It's okay, I know the bouncer." Penny replied as she pointed at a huge muscular man by the door.

"How?" Chris asked suspiciously.

"Chris, you're my cousin." Penny replied with a smile. "You don't want the details."

"I really don't." Chris agreed as his mind went placed he did not want it go. "Let's just head inside."

Penny grabbed Chris by the arm and dragged him through the line, while he tried to ignore all the annoyed people they passed. When they reached the bouncer, Penny greeted and hugged him as she tried to get in. Chris did not know what she whispered in his ear, but a moment later, he agreed to let both of them in. As the door slammed shut behind them, shadows flew over the building and headed in through the skylights.

xxx

In the basement of the Halliwell manor, Melinda sat on the stairs as she watched Wyatt tying up the still unconscious Ryan in a chair in the middle of the space. She hated seeing her boyfriend like this, but she knew she didn't have a choice. When Wyatt was done, he inspected the ropes and wiped his hands off his jeans. Together, they headed up to the kitchen and Wyatt grabbed them both a drink from the fridge. At that moment, Henry Jr. came walking in carrying the Book of Shadows.

"There are so many entries on possession I don't know which one to pick." Henry remarked as he dropped the book on the counter. "I think the safest bet is to brew the dispossession potion your mother designed."

"That isn't that complicated to make." Wyatt said as he checked the entry.

"We can't take any chances." Melinda replied. "This is Ryan we're talking about. Maybe we should call dad or one of the aunts for help."

"Mel, I know you're scared." Wyatt replied. "But we have always learned to reply on the book. I doubt the aunts have a better idea."

"Yeah, they were pretty dependent on the book. Oh, I also found this." Henry remarked as he pulled a small bottle from his pocket.

"Holy water? Seriously?" Wyatt remarked skeptically.

"What? I found it in the trunk." Henry replied with a shrug. "It can't hurt."

Suddenly, there was a demonic growl from the basement and all three turned to door. Melinda realized it sounded like a cry of pain and worried for Ryan. She wanted to run down, though Wyatt stopped her.

"It is probably a trick." Wyatt said. "We should all go. Stay behind me. I can form a force field just in case."

Melinda understood and nodded, so she waited for her brother to head down the stairs and then followed him. As they entered the basement, Melinda saw Ryan had woken up and was staring down to the floor while mumbling something she could not understand. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, she felt Henry bump into her and Ryan suddenly looked up with black eyes.

"Who are you?" Melinda asked nervously. "Why have you taken Ryan?"

"My name is Legion, for we are many." Ryan whispered and it was like hundreds of demonic voices spoke at the same time.

"Really? That is a bit of a cliché." Henry remarked dryly. "Maybe the Holy Water was not a bad idea after all."

"Shut up!" Melinda snapped at him and she took a step forward. "I want you to release Ryan, he has nothing to do with this."

"He has everything do to with you, they all do. We are coming for all you filthy witches." Ryan replied. "And there is nothing you can do."

"Who is doing this? What are you after?" Wyatt asked.

"Your heads." Ryan replied with a demonic smile.

"Alright, enough of this." Henry said as he stepped forward and untwisted the cap on the bottle of Holy Water. He flung the bottle and the water splashed on Ryan, who screamed out in seeming agony.

"Oh, it worked." Henry said surprised, until the demonic Ryan started laughing instead. "Or not."

"Henry, cut it out. This is serious." Wyatt snapped at him angrily before turning to the demon. "Tell us who is controlling Ryan!"

"The worst evil you ever faced." Ryan replied. "None of you will make it through the night."

The demon possessing Ryan then started laughing again. Angry and desperate, Melinda walked over and slapped him across the face, yelling at the demon to release him. When the demon continued laughing, she wanted to slap him again, though Wyatt grabbed her and dragged her out of the basement. Henry closed and locked the door behind them and the laughing stopping.

"Melinda, that is not helping either." Wyatt said as he shook her to her senses. "Whatever is going on, we need to think clearly."

"Alright." Melinda replied. "Let's just create the potion."

While Henry went to collect the ingredients for the potion from the attic, Wyatt helped Melinda getting started in the kitchen. With something to keep her busy, she was able to calm down a little and was able to focus. She convinced herself that she was going to save Ryan. The potion would work. A few moments later, they heard Henry calling from the living room, and he sounded concerned about something. When they headed to the living room, they found Henry standing by the window looking outside.

"Guys, did the street organize a neighborhood watch or something?" Henry asked with a frown.

"What are you talking about?" Wyatt asked.

"Well, there are a bunch of people in front of the manor, and they do not look happy." Henry replied.

"What?" Wyatt called out as he walked over and checked the window. "Oh my god!"

Now worried, Melinda headed to the window and pushed Henry aside to get a look. There was a large crowd gathered in front of the manor, all standing there silently staring. It was very creepy and she sensed something was very wrong. She leaned in closer to the window and looked at a woman standing in the yard. Her eyes were pure black. Melinda gasped as she realized what it meant, they were surrounded.

Xxx

Back in the nightclub, Chris stood at the bar with a bottle of beer. It was not like he hated it, but he wasn't exactly having a good time either. He was just not used to this, trying to relax and enjoy himself. Last time he really went out was during college, and even then he was always preoccupied with demons. He guessed Penny was right, he needed to get a life outside of magic. He looked over to the dance floor and saw Penny dancing with some random guy.

A girl with short and spiky blonde hair leaned against the bar, dressed in a black top and very short purple skirt and combat boots. Aside from the whole punk look and a few too many tattoos, she was pretty hot. When she notice him looking, she turned around and smiled.

"Buy me a drink, pretty boy?" She asked.

"Sure, what are you drinking?" Chris replied.

"Beer of course." The girl said.

Chris quickly ordered two more beers and handed her one. "I am Chris, by the way."

"I'm Roxy." The girl replied.

"Roxy, is that you're real name?" Chris asked.

"No, but my real name is boring." Roxy replied with a smile. "At night, it's always Roxy."

"I see, so what does Roxy do during the day?" Chris asked.

"I'm bored with talking." Roxy replied as she grabbed his shirt by the collar and pulled him closer to her. "Let's go dance."

Chris smiled and followed Roxy to the dance floor, where she wrapped her arms around his waist and started grinding him. Chris was not a very good dancer, but he went along with it and soon grew very hot with her body pressing against him. He quickly took a sip of beer and saw Penny was checking on him from a distance with an amused look in her eyes.

Suddenly, the entire club was engulfed in shadows and the mood changed. The music stopped and the people fell silent. Roxy stepped back and looked at him with a strange, blank expression. Chris looked around and noticed everyone was staring at him. Their bodies trembled and their eyes suddenly turned pitch black.

"Chris?!" Penny called out in a panic. "What is happening?"

"Nothing good." Chris replied as he slowly moved toward her. He carefully walked past the crowd until he reached her and they were both surrounded.

"Their minds are all blank." Penny whispered. "I can't read their thoughts."

"Something took over." Chris replied. "We need to get out of here."

"How? We're surrounded!" Penny said. "We can't expose magic."

"I think it's a little too late for that." Chris replied. "Can you levitate?"

"I think my dress is a bit too short for that." Penny replied.

"You think?" Chris replied with an eye roll. "Alright, I am going to orb us out of here."

At that moment, Roxy stepped forward in a trance like state. "You are not going anywhere." She commanded in a demonic voice which echoed with other voices. "All witches must die."

"What is this, the witch trials?" Penny remarked.

"Who are you, why are you doing this?" Chris asked.

"We are the true essence of evil. None of you can escape. Your entire family will burn." Roxy said with a demonic grin.

"Oh god, the others." Penny whispered shocked. "We need to warn them."

Penny reached into her purse to grab her phone, though a guy dressed in black with blue spiked hair suddenly shot forward and grabbed her arm. Penny quickly used her self-defense training to flip him over and throw him on the floor. As she did, the demonically possessed circle closed in around them. Chris quickly raised his hands and pushed them back with telekinesis, though there were too many to handle alone.

"Kill them!" Roxy screamed.

As the possessed clubbers charged at them, Chris flung his arm and threw as many as he could across the dance floor, while Penny held them off with a can of mace she had grabbed from her purse. As soon as he could reach her, Chris grabbed her arm and orbed them both to safety. After they had disappeared, the possessed calmly stood up and headed to the exit.

xxx


	5. Chapter 5

Legacy 105: With Mortals Like These

Part 5

Xxx

In a column of orbs, Chris and Penny materialized in the hall of the Halliwell manor, having barely escaped a crowd of possessed mortals in the club. The moment they appeared, Chris called out to ask if his brother or anyone else was there. Meanwhile, Penny walked over to the living room and sat down on the couch. Chris followed her and noticed her arm was hurt, it was bruised, like someone had grabbed it roughly.

"What happened?" Chris asked concerned as he sat down and looked at it.

"Ouch, one of those idiots at the club grabbed me." Penny replied painfully. "Can you do something about it?"

"You know I can't heal." Chris replied. "And I am just an orderly, not a nurse. Wyatt can take care of it once he gets here."

"Where is everyone?" Penny asked. "Could those freaks have gotten them?"

At that moment, a demonic scream sounded from somewhere in the manor and Chris jumped up. Something crashed through the window and he saw it was a brick as it rolled over the floor. Chris looked at the window and saw a man with demonic black eyes crawling through. He quickly flung his arm and threw him back outside.

"What the hell is going?" Chris asked.

Suddenly, Wyatt ran into the room, followed by Henry and Melinda. He raised his hand and created a force field around the window to prevent other possessed people from climbing in. Chris looked outside and recognized some of the possessed as their neighbors.

"Is the entire city possessed?" Chris asked.

"This happened to you as well?" Wyatt asked confused.

"Yeah, we got attacked at a club." Chris replied. "Penny is hurt."

"A little healing please." Penny added as she stood up and pointed at her arm.

"Oh god." Melinda said worried as walked over to her cousin.

"I'll heal you." Wyatt said. "Henry, go place the crystals."

As Wyatt walked over to Penny to heal her arm, Chris looked at Henry and noticed he was carrying the box containing the magical crystals from the attic. He instantly realized that Wyatt intended to form a protective circle around the manor, a smart idea. However, he could do it quicker. Chris waved his hand over the box and all crystals disappeared in swirling orbs. They magically reappeared all around the manor and connected, forming an electrified shield around the entire manor.

"Thanks." Henry remarked as he dropped the box on the table. "That should keep the walking dread out."

"Where are Prue and Payton?" Penny asked as Wyatt finished healing her.

"We don't know." Melinda replied. "We tried calling but there was no reply."

"Then we need to find…" Penny started, though before she could finish, a column of orbs appeared and formed into Prue, Payton and the whitelighter Noah.

"Are you okay?" Melinda asked concerned.

"That is a matter of opinion." Prue replied with a sigh. "I went out go get shoes, met up with some friends and had a nice dinner, until they decided to attack me!"

"Were you hurt?" Chris asked.

"They got my shoes!" Prue said distraught, as if was the most horrible thing in the world.

"Right." Chris replied with a raised eyebrow. "So how did you get out?"

"I called Noah." Prue replied.

"I orbed her back to her apartment." Noah added. "Which was where we found Payton barricaded in her room."

"I am fine." Payton added. "When I got home, I had a premonition about the neighbor attacking me, so I pretended I was not home and barricaded my room just in case. So can someone please explain what is going on?"

"It looks like all mortals in the city are possessed." Wyatt replied. "And they seem determined to kill us for some reason."

"What could possess that many people at once?" Prue asked.

"Ryan said something about the worst kind of evil." Melinda noted with a sad expression.

"Ryan? Oh god, Melinda. I am so sorry." Prue replied as she walked over to hug her cousin in comfort. "Is he alright?"

"I don't know." Melinda replied.

As Wyatt explained how they had tied Ryan up in the basement, Chris walked over to the window and looked outside. Even more possessed people were gathering outside. The way they were standing there, it felt like Chris was trapped in a zombie movie. Most of them were just waiting, though a few were pounding against the crystal cage shielding the manor. Each time they touched the cage, it zapped them and threw them back. Luckily, the charge was not strong enough to actually hurt them. However, Chris started to wonder something else. He looked at one of the crystals and he noted it was flashing faintly.

"Guys, how well charged are these crystals?" Chris asked.

"Uh, last time we charged them was… I have no idea." Wyatt admitted. "So that could be a problem."

"What do you mean?" Melinda asked. "What does that mean?"

"Each time the possessed hit the field, it zaps them, which costs energy." Chris explained. "If they keep going like this, the crystals will only last a few hours or so."

"And then what?" Payton asked.

"Then they can get it." Henry replied simply.

"Well, when that happens, we can just leave, right?" Penny suggested. "I mean, half of us can teleport."

"And then what?" Wyatt asked. "These people are innocents, we can't leave them."

"If it means saving ourselves…" Penny replied with a shrug.

"I am not leaving Ryan." Melinda said determined.

"And even if we decide to run, they will keep coming after us." Chris said. "Wyatt is right, we can't leave them like this."

"So what do you suggest?" Henry asked. "Even if we can make the dispossession potion, we will never have enough to save the entire city."

"Perhaps I should go consult the Elders." Noah suggested.

"I think that would be a good idea." Prue added. "We need to get a clear view of what we're dealing with. How many people are infected, where it is coming from, stuff like that."

As Noah dissolved in orbs, Chris thought about where all of this was coming from. He remembered what Roxy had said to him about the essence of evil. It seemed like there was only one explanation. The true essence of evil was the essence of the Source of All Evil, and there was only one person who was connected to it recently.

"Isn't it obvious?" Chris said. "It has to be Julian."

"What?" Prue asked confused. "Why would he do this?"

"He has been possessed most of his life." Chris reasoned. "He is probably insane. Maybe he hates us and thinks this is a perfect way to get revenge."

"It's not like we had anything to do with him being possessed." Penny remarked.

"Well, Chris does bring up a good point." Wyatt replied. "I mean, technically, we are related to him, so he probably sees us as everything he missed out on."

"Not to mention the fact that he is half demon." Henry added.

"But still, aren't we jumping to conclusions?" Payton asked. "We know nothing about him, we have never even met him without the essence."

"Guys, this is not the time to argue." Wyatt called out. "I think we have some bigger concerns than who is behind this. We need a way to neutralize and save the innocents. Henry was right about the potions, we will never have enough, so we need another plan."

"No, Wyatt. If we want to end this, I think we need to go after the one who started it." Chris said.

"I don't care!" Melinda called out in frustration. "All I care about right now is saving Ryan, so I am going to make that dispossession potion."

"I'll help you." Prue said.

As Melinda and Prue walked off to the kitchen, the others gathered around the table and sat down. They were all feeling lost as they tried to figure out what to do. Even though the mortals wanted to kill them, they were just possessed innocents, meaning they could not hurt them. Chris thought it was simple, Julian had to be connected to this somehow.

Suddenly, the sound of a doorbell echoed through the manor and a door magically appeared on the stairway. When the door swung open, Leo rushed through it and the door disappeared behind him. He was still dressed in a Magic School robe and looked concerned.

"I heard what is going on." Leo said. "Are you alright?"

"We're fine, dad." Wyatt replied. "But you shouldn't be here. You're mortal, you can get possessed."

"I am not leaving my children to fend for themselves while the entire city is after them." Leo said determined. "Besides, I need to check on your sister. This must be especially rough on her."

"It is, but we're going to try a dispossession potion." Chris said.

"That is a good idea." Leo replied. "But do you think it is safe to keep Ryan here? I could take him to Magic School, perhaps we can figure out something there."

"At least he would be out of harm's way. If he breaks free, he will be a risk to us all." Wyatt reasoned.

"Agreed." Leo said with a nod. "Let's go talk to your sister."

"Wait, what are we supposed to do in the meantime?" Henry asked pointing to himself, Penny and Payton as the brothers got up and headed over to the kitchen.

"Try checking the Book of Shadows." Chris replied. "We are going to need spells or something. Find something that could help us put them to sleep or something. And keep an eye on the street, just in case the crystals give in."

The others nodded and headed up to the attic while Chris joined his father and brother on their way to the kitchen. As he walked past a mirror in the hall, the surface of the mirror rippled and Elizabeth appeared observing them with a devilish smile.

Xxx

In his childhood mansion, Julian Turner watched from a distance as he saw his supposed cousins in a full-length mirror, which had been carried in by some demonic minions. Elizabeth was observing them closely with a content smile, thrilled that her plans were working. When the cousins left the view, Elizabeth waved her hand over the mirror and it rippled until her reflection returned. She then waved her minions away and they left the room in silence.

"Neat trick." Julian remarked.

"Thank you." Elizabeth replied. "I do enjoy sitting in the front row."

"But your plans seems a bit flawed, doesn't it?" Julian said. "The cousins are safe in the manor, and even if the possessed break in, they can just teleport away."

"I am well aware of that." Elizabeth said as she walked over to a large cabinet against the wall and retrieved a small bowl and an athame.

"What are you doing?" Julian asked.

"Ensuring the Halliwells will have nowhere to run to." Elizabeth explained as she walked over to the table and placed the bowl on the table. "Give me your arm." She added as she pointed the athame at him.

"What? Why?" Julian asked confused.

"You share a blood connection." Elizabeth explained. "I need it to cast another spell."

"I never said I would be part of your plans." Julian replied defiantly.

"So why are you here exactly?" Elizabeth asked. "What is it that you want?"

"I want to know who I am." Julian replied. "Without the essence. What am I supposed to do?"

"I will tell you who you are, whether you want to hear it or not." Elizabeth said as she came closer and grabbed his chin with her sharp nails. "You are my son and the heir to the Source. You are a demon and your destiny is to rule."

"That is not who I am!" Julian replied as he grabbed her arm and pulled it away. "That is who you wanted me to be, not the real me."

"So what? You think you can be a witch?" Elizabeth called out angrily. "Don't fool yourself, boy. There is evil inside you. Evil that will never leave, so just embrace it. Help me destroy the Halliwells and free yourself of them."

"They don't matter to me any more than you do." Julian replied harshly. "Neither of you is my family. At least that much is clear to me."

"You ungrateful little brat." Elizabeth hissed as she lashed out with the athame in her hand, slashing open his arm.

Julian stumbled back and grabbed his arm as he screamed in pain. He looked at his red blood and realized he had never felt actual pain like that. Without his powers, he was weak, mortal even. So was this what it felt like to be human? Meanwhile, Elizabeth walked back to the table and grabbed the bowl from earlier. She headed back and extended it to him.

"Give me your blood." She ordered.

"No." Julian replied.

"You need to learn some manners." Elizabeth said as she held out her hand and telekinetically pushed him against the wall. "I raised you better than that. Once the Halliwells are destroyed, I do believe some discipline is in order."

As Julian struggled to break free from the wall and her telekinetic hold on him, Elizabeth walked over to him and let some his blood drip in the bowl. He wanted to kill her. She meant nothing to him, she was just the cruel woman who handed him to the Source as a meat suit. He wanted to make her pay, even more so than the people that had conceived him.

"Thank you." Elizabeth replied as she waved her fingers, causing Julian to drop to the floor. "From your blood to theirs, I will be able to cast a spell to prevent them from teleporting."

Elizabeth went back to the table and flipped through the Grimoire with her back turned to him. As he tried to stop his arm from bleeding, Julian suddenly noticed the athame lying on the floor. He carefully crawled over and picked it up before standing up and hiding it behind his back. When Elizabeth began casting a spell in an unknown demonic language, Julian slowly crept up on her. When the spell was finished, a red smoke emerged from the bowl, but Julian ignored it.

Just before Julian was about to stab her to death, Elizabeth turned around and telekinetically ripped the blade from his hand. Her eyes then turned red in anger and she unleashed a powerful sonic scream that forced Julian to his knees as he grabbed his ears in pain.

"You ignorant boy. How stupid do you think I am?" Elizabeth said after she stopped screaming. "Why do you keep fighting me? We are the same. I saved you before you were even born, I gave you life."

"You are not my mother, you bitch." Julian replied hatefully. "I am nothing like you."

"Then I guess you are useless to me after all." Elizabeth replied. "Once again, it seems my children will always disappoint me. In that case, mommy will just have to handle this herself."

Elizabeth raised her hand and Julian was thrown across the room from one wall to another. He groaned in pain as he hit the floor. It did not matter in how much it hurt, he would not give in to her. He was more than just a demon, even if he did not know what exactly. As Elizabeth raised him off the ground with telekinesis, Julian passed out and the pain faded.

xxx


	6. Chapter 6

Legacy 105: With Mortals Like These

Part 6

Xxx

As she was brewing the dispossession potion with Prue, Melinda could not help but stare at the basement door. She hated the fact that Ryan was down there, tied up and possessed. She feared for his safety and had no idea what it was like to be possessed. She just hoped he wasn't in any pain. Maybe he was asleep, and had no idea what was happening. That would be best. When the kitchen door opened, Melinda looked up and saw her father come in. Like a little girl, she began crying and ran into his arms. Behind him, her brothers also entered the kitchen.

"It is okay, honey." Leo whispered as he held her. "We will fix this, I promise."

"How did you get here, is it safe for you?" Melinda asked as she calmed down and wiped her tears. "I can't handle you being possessed as well."

"Don't worry about me." Leo replied. "You got the manor protected, so I am fine. We are going to take Ryan to Magic School. He will be safe there."

"Are you sure?" Melinda asked.

"It is our best shot." Wyatt said. "It will be better for him and for us as well. As long as he is here, he is a threat as well."

"What?" Melinda asked angrily.

"I don't mean it as a bad thing." Wyatt replied. "It is just a fact. He is possessed, Mel, if he gets out, he could hurt one of us."

"Okay, yeah, I understand." Melinda said quickly. "I am sorry, I am just really scared."

"We understand." Leo replied.

"I tried so hard to get away from magic." Melinda said. "I had a normal life, I was happy with Ryan. Why did this have to happen to him?"

"It is happening to the entire city." Chris said. "It is not your fault."

"Isn't it?" Melinda asked. "Doesn't magic always hurt the people I love? Like mom? The warlock that killed her was after me as well."

"Melinda, listen to me." Leo said strictly as he looked her in the eyes. "This is not your fault, I understand better than anyone the pain magic can cause, but we don't control what happens in our lives. We are not responsible for the acts of others. Whoever is behind this, we need to stick together and fight it."

"I can't fight." Melinda replied tearfully. "I just want Ryan back."

"And we will get him back." Leo said determined.

"I think the dispossession potion is ready." Prue said as she stirred the boiling blue liquid in the pan. "This could be over sooner than we think."

Melinda waited as the others poured the potion in a small bottle while her father had a comforting arm around her. When the potion was finished, Wyatt led them into the basement while Prue went back to the living room. When Melinda headed down the stairs, she held her breath.

Ryan was still bound in the chair, staring down to the floor while mumbling something in a demonic language. When he heard them, his head shot up and pitch black eyes looked at her. It sent a chill down her spine. It was his face, but there was only evil there.

"Finally." Ryan said in a demonic voice.

"Listen to me, demon." Leo said as he stepped forward. "I demand to know who you are and what you want."

"I want to paint these walls with your family's blood." Ryan replied with an evil smile. "I will save your daughter for last, enjoy her screams while I…"

Before the thing possessing Ryan could continue, Leo hit him across the face and Melinda let out a shocked scream. She had never seen her father react like that. However, she did not want to hear all the vile things that monster had to say.

"Who are you? Who sent you?" Leo asked again.

"It is the essence of the Source." Chris said as he stepped forward, at which point the demon glared at him. "Isn't that right?"

"Only a fraction." Ryan replied. "A tiny fraction is all that is needed to overtake the minds of the weak mortals in this city."

"So you're not truly the Source." Leo reasoned. "Just the essence, used as a sentient weapon. I assume all mortals are connected, one mind controlling countless bodies? But then there has to be something controlling you."

"It has to be Julian." Chris said determined. "He wants revenge and he is using the essence to get it. Who else could it be?"

Ryan stared at them in silence and then began laughing. "You witches think you are so smart." He said. "You don't stand a chance. We will break through your pathetic little crystals soon enough."

"Alright, we've heard enough." Wyatt said. "Let's just use the potion."

"We still need to know who is behind this!" Chris argued.

"Do you really think it is going to tell us?" Wyatt replied with a frown.

"Wyatt is right, we are not getting any more information." Leo said. "If there is a chance we can free Ryan, we have to take it right away."

Chris nodded with disapproval and threw the dispossession potion at Ryan's feet. The bottle exploded and engulfed Ryan in white smoke, causing him to cough. Melinda desperately hoped it would work. However, when the smoke cleared, pitch black eyes were still glaring at her. The potion had done nothing.

"Was that it?" Ryan asked unimpressed.

"I told you it would not work." Chris said as he turned to the others. "If we want to free him, we need to go after the person who caused all of this."

"Alright, I guess you're right." Wyatt said. "First thing we need to do is get Ryan to Magic School. I'll orb him there."

Wyatt circled Ryan and placed a hand on his shoulder. He closed his eyes and focused, but nothing happened. He tried again and frowned when he remained motionless. Ryan began laughing demonically and Melinda realized something was very wrong. If her brothers could not orb, it meant they were trapped in the manor.

Xxx

When Prue entered the living room, she noticed Henry and Payton studying the Book of Shadows on the couch while Penny was in the chair with a notepad, trying to write a spell. She headed to the broken window and looked outside. Even though it was dark, she could still see the hundreds possessed mortals all around them. It was a very frightening idea, being trapped like this. When she turned around, she was startled by the sudden appearance of a column of orbs, which formed into Noah. With everything going on, she was relieved to see him.

"Any news?" Prue asked.

"Well, you were right, the problem seems to be limited to San Francisco." Noah said. "The Elders don't know exactly what caused it, but they seem convinced that in order to free the innocent, you need to go after the one causing all of this."

"Do they think it could be Julian?" Prue asked.

"They couldn't say." Noah replied.

"So it is possible..." Prue reasoned.

"Yes." Noah replied.

"I still don't believe it." Payton said as she stood up and joined them. "Seriously, why is it so easy for you all to blame him? Just like how you're blaming mom for what happened."

"Payton, we need to look at the facts." Penny interrupted. "Julian has motive and opportunity. He is the only one capable of doing this."

"Really?" Payton asked with a frown. "What about Barbas? He is still out there somewhere, and this seems pretty nightmarish to me."

"It is possible, but it doesn't seem likely." Prue said.

"We don't know anything about Julian." Payton replied. "Even if he is somehow connected to this, that still doesn't mean he is responsible. Like it or not, he is part of our lives now, and we need to find a way to deal with that. And you need to find a way to forgive mom."

"I hate to say it, but out very smart and annoying little sister does have a tiny point." Penny admitted reluctantly.

"What do you think?" Prue asked as she turned to Noah.

"Oh no. I am not getting involved in this." Noah quickly said as he threw his hands up. "You made it perfectly clear you don't want to meddle in your personal lives. I am not burning my fingers on this."

"Okay." Prue said after a moment. "I am willing to admit you may have a point. But I am still not convinced Julian is not dangerous. I doubt he sees us as family."

"And…?" Payton asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Don't lecture me, you're just a kid." Prue said annoyed. "A really bright one, but still. Fine, when all of this is over, we will have a long talk with mom, agreed?"

"Agreed." Penny said.

At that moment, a ruffled sound came from the hall. When Prue entered the hall, she saw Wyatt and Chris were carrying an unconscious Ryan into the hall and placed him on the floor. When she noticed his hands were tied, she realized the potion had failed. She walked toward them with the rest behind her, while Melinda and Leo arrived from the kitchen.

"What is going on?" Penny asked.

"The potion failed, and we're got another problem." Wyatt said. "We can't orb."

"Oh god." Prue said and she instantly tried to beam with no effect. "I can't teleport either."

"So we're trapped." Henry remarked. "Like rats."

"We can still try the portal to Magic School." Leo said as he headed up the stairs. He knocked on the wall and the door magically appeared. He put his hand through and then stepped through entirely. "Alright, let's get out of here." He said from the other side.

Wyatt and Chris nodded and lifted the unconscious Ryan off the floor. They headed up the stairs and tried to step through the door, though as soon as Chris reached it, he hit an invisible wall. "What the hell?" Chris called out as he placed his hand on the invisible wall. "Something is blocking me."

"Let me try." Wyatt said as he dropped Ryan and tried to get through the door, only to be blocked as well. "I can't get through either."

"Something is keeping you in place." Leo reasoned. "Preventing you from leaving through magic."

"How come you can get through?" Chris asked.

"Perhaps it is because I am mortal." Leo guessed. "Or something is specifically blocking you."

"If that is the case, I won't be able to orb you either." Noah added.

"So we really are trapped?" Payton asked panicky.

Suddenly, the lights in the manor suddenly went out, causing a blackout. There was a slight panic among the cousins until Wyatt turned on a flashlight he got from the closet and called for everyone to be quiet. A loud noise turned everyone's attention to the door and Prue saw the shadows of possessed mortals slamming against it. One of the protective crystals by the door was flashing softly.

"The crystals will give in any minute." Chris said. "They cut the power and are working their way in. They know we're trapped."

"Dad, you have to take Ryan." Melinda said as she headed up the stairs to the door. "At least that way, he will be safe."

"Alright." Leo said. "I will look after him."

"Noah, please help him." Prue said.

Noah nodded and he helped carry Ryan through the magical door. As she watched them, Prue could feel the love Melinda had for Ryan and her fear for his safety. It was heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time. She quickly looked at Noah and felt some of the same concern. He could not help them here, so it was better he stayed at the school.

"You need to get out of here." Leo said. "Chris is right, you need to find whoever is causing this."

"How are we supposed to get past the innocent?" Wyatt asked.

"Do whatever you can without hurting them. Your force field should keep them at bay." Leo said. "Find somewhere safe and figure this out. I know you can do it."

"Alright, thanks dad." Wyatt said.

"I wish I could do more." Leo said frustrated.

"You've done enough, dad. Now go!" Chris replied.

Before Leo could respond Wyatt grabbed the door and slammed it shut, causing it to disappear. Just like that, they were gone and only the cousins remained in the dark.

"Wyatt, what are we going to do?" Melinda asked worried.

"We are going to run." Wyatt said as he turned to the others. "We go out the back, try to find a car and get as far away as possible."

"We won't all fit in one car." Penny said.

"Then we need to split up and meet somewhere." Wyatt said. "A place where we can hide, where we can figure this out. Somewhere they will not think to look. I think I know a place. An old warehouse where I did a photo shoot a few weeks ago, by the docks."

"I know which one you mean." Chris replied. "So how are we going to do this?"

"Let me think." Wyatt said.

Prue suddenly got an overwhelming sense of aggression and knew what was coming. "No time! Run!" She screamed.

Not a second later, the front door burst open and the possessed poured in like wild animals going after fresh prey. Wyatt quickly raised his hands and formed a force field to hold them back, though they were coming in through the windows as well. Chris began pushing them back with Telekinesis, but it was clear there were too much to handle.

"Back door, now!" Wyatt screamed.

Prue instinctively grabbed Payton by the hand and started running for the kitchen, sensing the others were right behind her. When they entered the kitchen, more possessed entered through the back door. Prue focused and unleashed a blast of pink energy from her forehead, which knocked out several the possessed mortals. When more showed up, Melinda quickly froze them in place and they ran out of the manor.

The cousins ran through the garden and ended up in a small alley through the bushes. The possessed were swarming around them like a horde of zombies on both sides. Prue fired another psychic blast at one side, while Melinda froze the others, but they were still trapped between them.

"Now what?!" Penny called out as the possessed closed in on them.

A possessed man launched forward at Payton, though Henry grabbed her arm and the man orbed right through them. Penny then kicked him and knocked him out. At that moment, Wyatt and Chris ran outside and Wyatt quickly formed a large force field around the cousins. However, Prue sensed it was putting a lot of strain on his body.

"This won't last forever." Wyatt remarked gasping.

"I can orb through the crowd, but I can't extend my power to everyone." Henry said.

"I think I can clear a path through them." Chris said. "We need to split up now, Wyatt and I know where to meet, so one half goes with me, the other with Wyatt."

"Well, who goes with who?" Prue asked.

"No time to vote on it, I can't hold the force field any longer!" Wyatt called out. "Time to run!"

As the force field shattered, the possessed mortals started charging at them with demonic growls. Prue tried to reach for Payton, but felt herself being pulled the other way by Penny. She saw Chris extend his arms and telekinetically cleared a path by pushing the possessed aside. He yelled at them to follow and Prue ran after him. She looked over her shoulder, but she could no longer see the others through the crowd.

xxx


	7. Chapter 7

Legacy 105: With Mortals Like These

Part 7

Xxx

When Julian regained consciousness, he instantly felt a throbbing headache and felt his hair was wet with blood, which was slowly dripping down his neck. After being a powerful demon nearly his entire life, he had never felt weak or experienced physical pain, but now that he could not access his powers, he was confronted with both. He tried to move, but discovered he was strapped to a heavy wooden chair with metal cuffs. He was still inside the large room with the urn, sitting in front of the mirror, but Elizabeth was nowhere to be seen.

Realizing he needed to get out of there, he struggled against his restraints, but it was useless. He did not want to be trapped with that woman again. She claimed to be his mother, but she was nothing but a cruel demon. His childhood with her had been torture, and he would not go back to that. He was nothing like her, but then, who was he exactly? That very question was the reason he came here in the first place. He was not a demon, a soulless evil like Elizabeth, but he was not like his other so-called relatives either. He was somewhere in between, meaning he belonged on neither side. He looked in the mirror and realized he was alone.

The doors swung open and Elizabeth walked in, having changed into a dark red blouse and black pants. He hated the sight of her.

"I see you're finally awake again." Elizabeth said. "And judging by that look you're giving me, you are not in a good mood."

"Let me out of here." Julian said. "I don't belong here."

"Then where do you belong?" Elizabeth asked with a frown. "With them? The Halliwells? Do you honestly think they will accept you for what you are?"

"No, I don't care about them any more than I care about you." Julian replied. "I don't belong anywhere."

"That is not true." Elizabeth replied as she kneeled down in front of him and placed her hands on his knees. "You can belong here, all you have to do is give in to the evil inside of you."

"I can't and I won't." Julian replied. "I don't want to be like you."

"Fine." Elizabeth replied with a sigh as she got up and walked over to the Grimoire on the table. "Then I guess we have to do this the hard way."

"What? What are you talking about?" Julian asked nervously.

"Don't worry, dear. I am going to fix you." Elizabeth said. "All your problems are caused by the same thing, that pesky little soul of yours. Luckily, I have found a spell that will allow us to get rid of it."

"No!" Julian screamed at her, again struggling against his restraints.

"Don't worry, it will only hurt for a moment." Elizabeth said.

There was a knock on the door and a demonic guard entered. Elizabeth looked at him and he nodded at her. She then waved her hand and he left the room. Julian wondered what was going on, clearly he was missing something. Elizabeth closed the book and walked over to the mirror.

"Seems like things are finally moving along." She said. "Allow me to show you the destruction of the Halliwells once and for all."

Elizabeth waved her hand over the mirror and the reflective surface rippled until it showed an image of a dark street. A large crowd of possessed mortals was chasing after the Halliwells, who were running for their lives. Julian watched in silence, knowing they were merely a distraction until Elizabeth turned her attention back on him. For that reason alone, he hoped they would survive for the time being. At least, he thought that was the only reason.

xxx

As the growling and screaming horde of possessed mortals chased after them, Wyatt and the others ran for their lives over the streets of San Francisco. The group had become separated in the alley, and now only Melinda, Henry and Payton were with him. He had no idea where the others were or if they were even still alive, but he knew he needed to keep faith. The plan was simple, get to safety and meet at the warehouse, but that was easier said than done.

"I don't think I can run for much longer!" Melinda said out of breath.

"Me neither." Payton added.

"Over here!" Wyatt replied as he pointed to an alley.

The group quickly ran into the alley and Wyatt telekinetically orbed a dumpster in the way to stop the possessed from following them. However, that would only last a moment.

"We need a car." Henry said as he stopped to catch a breath.

"Getting a car is not a problem." Wyatt replied. "We just need to get it running."

"I can hotwire a car." Henry replied. "It will just take a few minutes, so we will need a distraction."

"How do you know how to do that?" Wyatt asked with a frown.

"My dad is parole officer." Henry replied with a shrug. "I spent time with some of his parolees."

"That sounds really not okay." Payton remarked concerned.

"We are being chased by rabid freaks, do you really want to discuss this right now?" Henry asked skeptically. "Or do you want to get out of here?"

"Get out of here." Payton replied quickly as the possessed mortals started moving the dumpster and climbing over it. "Fast."

"Okay, I will hold them back, find a car." Wyatt said.

As Henry and Payton ran off, Wyatt turned to the charging mortals and raised another force field. After all the magic he used today, he was getting pretty tired and he noticed his fields were getting weaker. The mortals crashed against the field and started pounding against it. It would not hold their attacks for very long. Luckily, Melinda was with him, meaning she could freeze them in case they got through.

"This is a nightmare." Melinda said softly. "I keep hoping I will wake up soon."

"Ryan will be okay, Mel." Wyatt said in an attempt to comfort her. "Dad will take care of him."

"I know, let's hope we'll live long enough to see it." Melinda replied.

As the possessed kept bashing against his force field like wild animals, Wyatt felt himself grow weaker and kneeled down for support. "I can't hold it." He whispered.

"Just a little while longer." Melinda said as she supported him and helped him up. "I am sure Henry will be back soon."

"I can't." Wyatt replied exhausted.

As his energy ran out, Wyatt dropped his arms and the force field shattered. The possessed mortals growled and charged at them, though Melinda flicked her hands and they froze in place. However, it did not take them long before they started adjusting. At that moment, an old black SUV raced into the alley and came to a halt with grinding breaks.

Melinda quickly helped Wyatt up and they headed for the car. When they got in, Henry quickly put the car in reverse and hit a couple of dumpsters as he turned out of the alley and drove off. As they hit the road, Wyatt looked back and saw the army of possessed running after them. He desperately hoped Chris and the others had made it.

Xxx

With a telekinetic push, Chris opened the back door of a small apartment building and led Prue and Penny inside. He then quickly closed the door and waited while holding his breath. With his ear against the door, he heard the possessed outside running past them and let out a relieved sigh. They had managed to lose them for the moment. He turned and saw Prue was trying to call someone with her phone, probably the others.

"Any luck?" Chris asked quietly.

"No, I think they left the phones at the manor or something." Prue replied in frustration as she put away her phone.

"So now what?" Penny asked. "Even if we can reach that warehouse Wyatt mentioned, that still doesn't solve anything."

"Do you have a better suggestion?" Prue asked.

"I think Chris was right all along, we need to go after the source of this." Penny said. "Maybe it is Julian, maybe not, either way, it needs to stop."

"We have no idea what we will face, or even how to find it for that matter." Prue said. "We need to meet up with the others. We're strongest when we're all together."

"Any time we waste could cost us our lives." Penny argued. "Chris, what do you think?"

"You both have a point, we need to stop what is happening, but we have no idea what we'll face or if we will be able to beat it." Chris reasoned. "But I think we need to find out what we're dealing with first. There is no point in waiting around waiting to get killed."

"I knew you would say that." Penny said with a smile.

"Right, I guess there are some good things about being a neurotic demon hunter, right?" Chris remarked dryly. "So how do we do this?"

"I was thinking, we don't know for sure Julian is involved here, but he is our only lead." Penny said. "And like it or not, we do share some blood with him."

"So you want to use our blood connection to track him?" Chris asked. "Good idea, but how would that work?"

"I once found a spell in the Book of Shadows written by my mom to reveal the presence of evil. If we rewrite it and use our blood to power the spell, it should reveal Julian's location." Penny explained.

"I know the spell, but we'll need a map for it to work." Prue said. "And I am still not sure this is a good idea. What if we need back-up?"

"Wyatt is taking care of the others. I am sure of that." Chris said. "Besides, we'll have a better chance for a surprise attack if there are only three of us."

"Alright." Prue said reluctantly.

"Great." Penny replied. "Now, we're in an apartment building, so I am sure we will be able to find a map somewhere. Let's just keep it down in case any creepy crawlies are around."

The three of them set out to find a map and raided through the apartments in the building. When they finally found a city map in what seemed like the apartment of an old lady, they cleared the table and placed the map on it. Chris retrieved a blade from the kitchen and handed it to Penny.

"The two of you share the strongest blood connection to him." Chris said. "Are you sure you will be able to do this if it is Julian?"

"If he is the one trying to kill us, sure." Penny replied.

"Yeah, I think so." Prue added hesitantly.

"Prue, you need to be sure." Chris said.

"I know, and I am." Prue replied, this time more confident. "If he is behind it, he needs to be stopped. If it comes between him and us, the choice is simple."

"Okay, let's do this." Penny said.

Penny raised the blade to her hand and made a small cut that made her flinch. She then handed the blade to Prue and she did the same. The sisters then nodded and let their blood drip on the map as they started chanting the spell;

"_On this map, I conjure thee, show me what I wish to see,_

_Reveal our blood in this place, let it show its familiar face._"

As the blood dripped on the map, the drops started glowing softly as they moved around the map. One clear drop surrounded by three slightly weaker drops was moving through the city at high speed. Chris quickly realized that it had to be Payton and the others, meaning they were safe for now. He then looked at another clear drop that moved to the outsides of the city and finally settled in a rich neighborhood, filled with mansions.

"That has to be Julian." Chris said.

"Nice neighborhood." Penny remarked.

"Could that really be where he is hiding?" Prue asked.

"Only one way to find out." Penny said as she held up a set of keys. "I found these in one of the other apartments, figured they would come in handy."

"You stole them?" Chris asked with a frown.

"I am sure the possessed creep won't miss them for the time being." Penny replied with an eye roll. "Let's go."

As the three witches left the apartment, Chris convinced himself they were doing the right thing. Julian being behind all of this was the only thing that made sense. He needed to be stopped. As long as he was out there, he was a threat to the entire family. As Chris closed the door behind him, he got the creepy feeling someone was watching him. However, when he looked over his shoulder, there was nothing there but a mirror.

Xxx

Through the mirror, Julian watched as Chris looked over his shoulder with a suspicious look and closed the door behind him. The image then faded and Julian saw his own reflection, with Elizabeth standing behind him with a hand on his shoulder. The cousins had convinced themselves he was behind all of this. It made sense, he would have probably figured the same thing, so then why did it make him feel so bad?

"I told you, they will never see you as one of them." Elizabeth said softly as she played with his hair. "To them, you will always be evil."

"Leave me alone." Julian mumbled in an annoyed tone as he looked at the floor.

"Does it hurt to see them like that?" Elizabeth asked. "Does it burn your soul that they fear and despise you for what you are? I can take all that pain away. All you have to do is ask."

"I said leave me alone!" Julian screamed at her as he struggled in his restraints. "Stop acting like you know what is good for me, like you are my mother!"

"Fine." Elizabeth replied in a dark tone as she walked away. "If you will not offer up your soul by choice, I will just take it. I should have done so the moment you were born."

As Julian struggled in his chair to get free, a spark of electricity ran through his fingers, which surprised him. The spell she had used to take away his powers was slowly wearing off. He was not strong enough to escape just yet, so he needed to be patient and wait for the perfect moment. He knew the cousins were coming here, thinking they would find him behind of all this. If he timed it right, he could use them as a distraction to escape and kill Elizabeth. She had it coming for a long time. He would make her pay for all she had put him through. And if the Halliwells got in his way, he would just take care of them as well. They clearly did not want him in their lives, so that was one wish he could grant them.

xxx

Last chapter coming up soon. Please review!


	8. Chapter 8

Legacy 105: With Mortals Like These

Part 8

Xxx

Inside the warehouse that served as their temporary hiding place, Melinda paced around on the concrete floor while waiting for news. At the same time, Wyatt was checking to make sure the possessed could not get in while Henry stood guard at the door. They were in a large open space, with only some old steel pipes lying around. At least Ryan was safe, she kept telling herself. When she heard movement behind her, Melinda spun around and raised her hands to freeze, though it was only Payton holding bottles of water.

"I found these in the back office." Payton said. "You want one?"

"Thanks, sorry I am a little nervous." Melinda replied as she took a bottle.

"Of course, we all are." Payton said. "I just wish the others would get here. I am starting to freak out over them."

"I am sure they are alright." Melinda said. "They can take care of themselves, they probably just can't reach us."

"I hope you're right." Payton replied.

"Well, there are no other ways in. Everything alright here?" Wyatt asked as he joined them from the other side of the warehouse.

"Yeah, we're fine." Payton replied as she handed him a bottle of water.

"Guys, I hate to be the bringer of bad news… but I have bad news." Henry called out from over by the door. "You might want to take a look."

The others ran over to the door and peeked out the window. When Melinda looked outside, she gasped. A seemingly endless crowd of possessed mortals were gathering around the warehouse, all staring at the building with their empty black eyes. Melinda wondered how they were able to find them. Either way, all that mattered was that they were in big trouble.

Xxx

Chris and the others carefully snuck past a couple of possessed mortals wandering the street as they headed for a large dark-looking mansion surrounded by a large fence. This was the place Julian was hiding in, and Chris found it very creepy. They circled the fence until they found an unlocked back entrance. Chris looked at the mansion and saw two large men in leather standing by the back door, clearly demonic.

"Two guards at the door." Chris whispered as he turned to the others. "There are lights burning on ground floor. Can you guys sense anything?"

"I feel a nearly overwhelming sense of anger and hate, it feels human, so I am pretty sure it is Julian." Prue replied. "He is clearly not alone in there."

"Definitely not." Penny added. "I can pick up thoughts from the guards, but there definitely is someone else in there, someone very evil and dangerous."

"So is this person working with or against Julian?" Chris asked.

"Hard to tell." Penny replied. "I can't pick up their thoughts, they are too powerful for me to read without them sensing it."

"Can we take the guards?" Chris asked.

"I think so, there are only a handful of them." Prue replied. "It is the other presence that worries me."

"Well, we need to do something." Chris said. "We're not going to find out what we're dealing with standing out here."

"I know." Prue said impatiently. "I can take out the guards at the door without alerting them, if you can distract them for a moment."

"Got it." Chris replied.

Chris turned back to the gate and flung his hand, causing a rock to fly off the ground and hit a dumpster with a loud bang. The demons turned and headed over to inspect it, while Prue snuck in the garden and slowly headed toward them. When she was close enough, she unleashed a powerful blast of pink energy which instantly knocked out both demons. Chris and Penny then ran up to the door to meet up with her and went inside the mansion. If only they knew what they were getting themselves into.

Xxx

Julian watched tensely as he observed Elizabeth flipping through the darkened pages of the Grimoire. His impatience caused his hands to spark with electricity, but he knew he had to wait. When the time was right, he would strike and finally be rid of her. As she finally found what she was looking for, Elizabeth picked up the book and turned to him.

"Let's rid you of that soul, shall we?" She remarked with a satisfied smile.

With the book in her hands, Elizabeth started casting a spell in a demonic language and black smoke started pouring from the book onto the ground. A being rose from the smoke, cloaked in black rags with red burning eyes. Its face was hidden under the cloak, but its arms were rotten like those of corpse. Julian knew what it was, a Spirit Extractor, also known as a Wraith. It had the power to rip the souls from people.

"Claim his soul so he will become his true demonic self." Elizabeth ordered.

The Wraith hovered through the air and extended its clawed arm. However, before it could rip out Julian's soul, the door burst open. A demonic guard flew in and exploded as he hit the wall. Elizabeth barely managed to avoid him and dropped the Grimoire in the process. Chris, Prue and Penny ran into the room and stopped when they saw the Wraith.

"What the hell is that?!" Penny called out.

The Wraith seemed temporarily confused, but quickly turned its attention back to Julian. However, the time for waiting was over. Using his telekinetic abilities to increase his strength, Julian broke free from his restraints and threw a stream of fire at the Wraith. The floating demon let out an inhuman wail and flew off, disappearing through the window.

"No!" Elizabeth screamed. "You fool! Now there is no controlling it."

"That doesn't matter, whatever is going on here, is over." Chris said as he flung his arm and threw Elizabeth across the room. He then turned to Julian. "Free the mortals from whatever you have done!"

"You idiot, you think I did this?" Julian snapped at him and pointed at Elizabeth. "She is responsible."

"And I am supposed to believe you had nothing to do with it?" Chris replied sarcastically.

"I don't care what you believe." Julian replied.

"Wait, hold on, both of you." Prue said. "Who is she?"

"My name is Elizabeth Turner, you little witch." Elizabeth replied as she stood up and corrected her blouse and hair. "And you are going to pay for this interruption."

"Turner?" Chris asked confused. "That is impossible."

"Far from it." Elizabeth replied. "Haven't you wondered how Julian survived his supposed death?"

"You're the mysterious woman that saved him from the Seer, the one my mother saw in those memories." Penny concluded. "You're Cole's mother."

"It doesn't matter now, you are all going to die." Elizabeth replied.

When Julian saw her eyes turn bright red, he quickly moved aside and covered his ears. Elizabeth opened her mouth and unleashed a sonic scream. The others cried out in pain as the scream shattered their eardrums and forced them to the ground.

For a moment, Julian did not know what to do. Should he take the opportunity to finally kill Elizabeth or let her kill the Halliwells first? He looked at them crawling on the floor in pain and felt conflicted. He owned them nothing, so why should he bother to help them? But if he did nothing, he would be as evil as Elizabeth, and that was something he never wanted to be.

Julian raised his hand and unleashed a bolt of lightning, which struck Elizabeth in the chest. She fell back and the screaming stopped.

"Why did you save us?" Prue asked confused as she got up.

"I didn't do it for you." Julian replied. "She had it coming."

"Did you have anything to do with the possession?" Penny asked.

"No, I didn't." Julian replied.

"So why are you here?" Chris asked.

"Not that it is any of your business, but I grew up here." Julian said. "I came here to find answers about who I am."

"So did you find an answer?" Prue asked.

"No." Julian replied.

"We don't really have time for some soul-searching." Chris remarked. "We need to reverse the possession and free the mortals. Can you help with that?"

"I think so." Julian replied.

He did not really know why, but Julian walked over to the Grimoire and carried it to the table. He figured the mortals did not deserve the same fate he suffered. He flipped through the book until he found the spell Elizabeth used.

"How can you touch that?" Penny asked skeptically.

"I am neither good nor evil." Julian replied. "Do you want me to do the spell or not?"

"Yes, please." Prue said.

Julian nodded and started casting the reversal spell as he opened the Urn of Asar. A moment later, streams of black particles arrived through the windows and poured into the urn. When they were all trapped inside, Julian closed the urn and backed away.

"No!" Elizabeth suddenly screamed out as she sat up and threw an Energy Ball.

Before the Energy Ball could hit Julian, Prue held out her hand and the ball stopped right in front of him. Prue gasped in pain as she clenched her fist and threw it back at Elizabeth. However, before the attack could hit, Elizabeth disappeared in a shimmer. She reappeared next to the table and grabbed the Grimoire and the urn. Julian threw a bolt of lightning at her, but she managed to get away. Julian looked at Prue and realized she had tried to save him.

"Why did you do that? And how?" Julian asked.

"I tapped into her power through her emotions, though she is so evil it actually hurt." Prue explained. "As for why, I figured I owed you one after you saved us and freed the mortals."

"Right." Julian replied doubtfully, unsure of how to respond.

"What about Elizabeth?" Chris asked.

"She'll be back. She will not give up." Julian replied. "I will handle her."

"So what happens now?" Prue asked.

"Nothing." Julian said. "Nothing has changed between us. We might share a blood connection, but nothing else. We are not family, so get out. You should be able to teleport again."

"Fine by me." Chris replied.

While Chris and Penny were ready to leave, Prue seemed somewhat conflicted. However, Julian had no interest in dealing with them any longer, so he turned around and walked away. With his back turned to them, he waited until he heard them orb away. He then let out a relieved sigh and leaned against the table. With the Wraith and Elizabeth still out there, this was all far from over, but at least tonight he could get some peace and quiet to think.

Xxx

Wyatt and the others backed up as the possessed mortals bashed against the door. They could break through at any moment, so everyone had armed themselves with whatever weapon they could find. When the door finally shattered under the pressure, the possessed mortals poured in like a wave of violence and growling. However, before they could attack, streams of black particles rose up from their bodies and they all fell to the ground.

"Is it over?" Payton asked nervously after a moment of silence.

"I think so." Wyatt replied. "Chris and the others must have found a way."

"And not a moment too late." Henry remarked.

"I need to see Ryan." Melinda quickly said.

"What about them?" Payton asked as he pointed at the unconscious people.

"They will be fine." Wyatt said. "I think we can come up with some kind of memory spell. Let's get out of here."

Wyatt established contact with everyone and they all dematerialized in a column of white and blue orbs, leaving the crowd of unconscious people passed out on the warehouse floor.

xxx

After a quick visit to the manor and Magic School, Melinda arrived back in her own apartment in a swirl of orbs courtesy of Wyatt. She had expected to find Ryan back at the school with her father, but he told her Ryan had asked to be sent home. As she looked around, she called out his name, but there was no response. She headed to the bedroom and found him standing by the bed. In wave of relief, she ran over to him and hugged him in tears. He wrapped his arms around her tightly but remained silent.

"I am so glad you're okay. I was so scared." Melinda said. "Why did you leave the school? You need to get checked out."

"I am fine, Melinda." Ryan replied. "I was aware the entire time, but I did not feel anything. It was so weird to feel my body move on its own, and I am so sorry for attacking you."

"It wasn't you." Melinda said. "I am so sorry this had to happen to you."

"Melinda, we need to talk." Ryan said.

Ryan moved away to create some distance between them and Melinda felt something was wrong. She looked down on the bed and saw his suitcase open with his clothes inside.

"What is going on?" Melinda asked.

"I need some time to deal with all of this." Ryan explained. "I thought I had accepted magic, but I am not sure I can handle this. Something took over me and I tried to kill you, how can I live with that? I just don't know what to do."

"What are you saying exactly?" Melinda asked tearfully. "Are you breaking up with me?"

"No, no, no." Ryan said quickly as he took her hands in his. "I am not saying it is over between us, but I need some time to think, alone. I decided to head to my parents for a few weeks. I think it is best if we both take some time."

"I want to believe you, Ryan." Melinda said. "So why does this feel like the end?"

"I can't talk about this now, Mel. I need more time." Ryan admitted. "I already called a cab."

Melinda sat on the bed in painful silence as Ryan finished packing his suitcase. When he was finished, he kissed her on the cheek and headed out. He stopped for a moment and the door before leaving, and when Melinda looked up, she saw a small black box standing on the dresser. Tears welled up and she threw herself on her pillow to cry.

Xxx

After a long overdue warm and steamy shower, Prue settled on the couch with her sisters back at the apartment. She was exhausted and wanted to sleep forever, though something was keeping her awake. Everything that had happened was bothering her. She looked at her sisters and sensed they felt the same way.

"Are we going to talk about this?" Prue asked.

"About what?" Penny asked.

"You know what." Prue said with a sigh. "Julian, mom, everything."

"You heard him, nothing has changes between us." Penny said with a shrug. "Let's leave it at that."

"I can't." Prue admitted. "Now that I have met him, I can't pretend we don't have a brother out there. I feel horrible about how we handled this, especially with mom."

"You don't have to." A familiar voice said.

The three sisters turned around and saw their mother standing in the door opening. She was dressed in a dark purple poncho, with a sympathetic smile.

"Mom, what are you doing here?" Penny asked confused.

"I called her." Payton admitted. "I figured we needed to have a talk."

"Payton is right." Phoebe said as she closed the door. She headed over and sat down on the chair across from them. Prue was nervous that she was upset with them, but she felt nothing but love from her mother. She felt relieved and happy she was there. "So let's talk." Phoebe said.

xxx

The End


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